Siem Reap

Overall Review:

When I first arrived to Siem Reap I had no idea what to expect. Just after reaching my hotel I went to the first travel agency and took all the available tours for 2 days. But it was not until the next morning (to be exact 5 am) when I started to realise the ultimate power of this ancient city. Seeing Angkor Wat and other temples was definitely one of the fascinating things in my life.

As Angkor Wat looks magical at the sunrise millions of people come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, on the day when I was there it was a little bit cloudy but still the place was otherworldly.

After Angkor Wat Temple, they took us to Bayon Temple, Ta Prohm and other temples which are not less attractive.

Those places are beyond imagination and the words are not enough to describe them. You need to see them and what is more important you need to feel them.

General Tips:

- When going to the temples you need to close your knees and shoulders. If you do not have appropriate clothes, that’s not a problem either as there are hundreds of locals ready to sell you the shirts and pants made in Cambodia. And actually, it’s kind of interesting as the majority of tourists are wearing those clothes so it looks like it is typical Siem Reap style (and it actually suits the places perfectly).

- There are many children who beg for money but you should not give them any penny as they are trained by their parents to do it as an alternative of going to school.

- Always remember the golden rule of negotiation; if the thing is 10 $ you can at least purchase it for 7-8 $ or in some cases even for 5$.

- Better take the group tours which are way cheaper and are a great way of meeting other people especially when you are a solo traveller.

To see:

The Pearl of Siem Reap is of course Angkor Wat and surrounding temples.

Aside from the temples you can also go to Siem Reap National Museum (which is better to go before seeing the real temples) and also War Museum (where you can learn more about the Cambodian War during 1970s).

If you are looking for some alternative entertainment you can check out the Circus which is not really professional but is a nice initiative by local youngsters. Besides, by buying the ticket you are contributing to the development of their youth NGO.

Also, check out the Night Market to buy souvenirs and food, as well as the Pub Street which is located just next to the Night Market. Apparently, Siem Reap downtown becomes so dynamic and lively at night that it is hard to imagine that it is the same place where you saw all those temples. There are thousands of tourists visiting the city everyday so it kind of feels like partying in Europe. And by the way you can find drinks as cheap as 1$ along the Pub Street. So, enjoy the night but be careful to be able to wake up at 4 am next morning :)

To eat:

They have tons of local food but I only tried Amok which contained mushrooms, ginger and some other ingredients which I do not recall now. But what I do remember that it was delicious indeed.

Another thing that is really popular are insects. Yes, yes, I know you are a bit of shocked but Cambodian people eat insects. 1 insect = 1$. You can find them everywhere at night in the area of pub street and night market.

To spend:

Even though Cambodia is poor and is even called 1$ country the minimum price for most everything starts from 1$. The locals mainly use $ as an alternative to their money. To compare you can buy a souvenir as cheap as 1 RMB (1$ = 6.9 RMB) in Beijing while in Cambodia I greatly doubt whether you can buy anything as cheap as 0.1 cents.

You will also have to spend some money on tours (including transportation and guide) as well as entrance tickets. The entrance fee for the temples is 1 day = 37$, 3 days pass = 62 $.

However, the food and the alcohol is really cheap. You can have a dinner for only 5$ including the meal and one alcoholic cocktail.

For 1 day in Siem Reap you will probably need at least 120-150$ (including the tour and entrance fee for temples, 3 times meal, souvenirs and some alcohol and insects for the night).

Please note that the above mentioned amount of money is only estimated cost and your actual trip expenses might vary depending on your interests and choices.